• If you're a past member of the board, but can't recall your password any more, you don't need to set up a new account (unless you wish to). As long as you recall your old login name, you can log in with that user name then select 'forgot password' and the board will email you at your registration email, to let you reset your password.

Be careful

Mindysmom

Well-known member
Last winter I bought Puppia harnesses for both Max and Mindy. Max's lasted less than a month before the clasp broke (while he was wearing it I believe). No harm done, I just switched harnesses for him. Although I was now leery of the Puppia, Mindy still wore hers if I walked them both with the coupler because it worked better with Max's. Today I was at a park with the dogs. We were meeting and greeting a couple of other dogs and three young girls. Suddenly, I realized that I was holding a leash with Max and an empty Puppia harness. Mindy had just slipped out and was standing on the other side of me. It was no big deal because we were in a safe place and Mindy is not a squirmer or a runner I just popped her back in- I still can't figure out how she got out though. Needless to say I have replaced her harness with a step in one identical to Max's and the Puppia one is in the trash. Hubby always hated it and wouldn't come for a walk if she had it on (it's pink) so no big loss.
 
Oh great, I just bought all three of mine a Puppia, and really dont like it so much. The hooks were too big for the coupler I had, so I had to get another one. What kind is the new one you got? Do you like it better?
 
After asking a lot of people what they liked I got something called a buddy belt for Max. It's leather and looks like a set of eyeglasses. Their feet slip in the holes and you buckle up the back. It looks a bit overkill (my trainer at puppy class said it looked like a trekking harness) but it works well. I got one for Mindy yesterday because I find it easier to walk them when they are on the same harness. They both also have a Holt harness that works well. It's a bit more complex to get one which is why I went looking for a new one for Max. He is getting MUCH better but he gets so excited that when he was younger could not get him to sit still long enough to put the Holt on. Plus it's just not cute.
 
Fit is important with any harness -- even those figure eight ones can be slipped out of, just as many dogs can also slip out of a collar. yet a collar needs to be loose, not really tight.

I don't think I've owned a harness that a dog at some point, in some position and if the harness was a bit loose, couldn't pull out of if really determined, excepting the Puppia jacket harnesses. They basically fit like a secure little coat. I've used figure eight, step in, front clip, all the styles. The best seem to be the jacket, front clip or step-ins. The figure eights seem prone to tightening around the neck. :yikes

One nice thing about the front clip and some styles is that you can clip both the harness ring and the collar ring for extra safety. This doesn't seem to create much pull at the neck at all, it is more a back-up system.

Puppies in praticular seem able to slip out of almost anything :eek:. They are small and more prone to trying to wriggle back out of things. The best insurance is a dog that knows to walk safely close to you and will sit and/or return on command. :)
 
Back
Top